Wednesday, May 31, 2017

(Boston,
MA) - The Massachusetts Senate demonstrated strong support for the
arts, humanities, and sciences in the Fiscal 2018 budget plan it
approved last week, boosting cultural funding by 18 percent and
approving a new program to support public art.

Those
proposals now go before a House-Senate conference committee charged with
reconciling the two chambers' approaches to the budget for the new
fiscal year that begins July 1. The House and Senate then must approve a
final budget plan before sending it back to the Governor, who can sign
it, veto it, or veto select line items.

Over the next several weeks the Mass Cultural Council and its advocacy partners—MASSCreative, Mass Humanities, Mass Artists Leaders Coalition,
and others—will urge members of that conference committee to adopt the
Senate plan so the benefits of public support for culture can be shared
across more communities.

"The Senate showed real leadership
at a time of continuing pressure on state finances," said Anita Walker,
Mass Cultural Council Executive Director. "They heard from advocates
statewide that state support for culture is not a subsidy—it is a down
payment on our future prosperity as a Commonwealth."

The
final Senate budget calls for $16.5 million to support the arts,
humanities, and sciences through the Mass Cultural Council. That would
represent an increase of $2.5 million, or 18 percent. By contrast, the
House would allocate $12 million for the arts and culture, a cut of
roughly 13 percent, for next year. Current state arts funding via Mass
Cultural Council is $14 million.The
budget plan also included language sponsored by Senator Eric Lesser of
East Longmeadow to establish the Massachusetts Public Art Program
(MPAP), which would set aside funds for the creation and preservation of
public art on Commonwealth-owned properties. MASSCreative and its
advocates campaigned in support of the measure.

"The Senate
budget offers a real chance to further fuel our creative economy," said
Walker. "We will put those additional dollars to work in ways that drive
cultural tourism, employment, and community vitality across the
Commonwealth."

Walker urged the cultural community to thank
their Senators for their show of support, and ask their Representatives
to support the arts and culture provisions in the Senate budget.

Arts and cultural leaders can go to our Advocacy Action Center for additional background on the process and information for making the case to lawmakers.

The Mass Cultural Council is a state agency supporting the arts, sciences, and humanities, to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. It pursues its mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. The agency's total budget for this fiscal year is $16.1 million, which includes a $14 million state appropriation and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. The Council also runs the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.

Monday, May 29, 2017

The program for the Memorial Day ceremonies and parade is shared here.

Parade Route:

The 2017 Parade route will begin at the Depot Street and Dean Bank and proceed up Main St (towards Church St.), take a left onto School, to a Right on W Central Street, then a Right on Beaver St until we reach the Town Common / Church Square. The parade will once again stop at the Dean Memorial, Union St and St Mary's Cemetery's.

Parade Information:

Date: Monday, May 29, 201710:00 am: Muster: Group leaders must check in at the Dean Bank Parking Lot10:30 am: Parade Starts12:00 pm: Ceremony at the Franklin Town Common

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Electric Youth (EY) 2017, the international touring ensemble of talented singer-dancers trained at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA), presents a Bon Voyage concert at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin on Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. The performance comes just days before the ensemble departs on June 28 for a 2 ½-week concert tour of England, France, Italy and Switzerland. Backed by an eight-piece band of world-class musicians, Electric Youth delivers a fun, high-energy evening of family entertainment with an extensive range of contemporary pop, classic rock, Broadway and country music for audiences all ages.

Electric Youth Presents Bon Voyage Show In

Advance Of 14th European Concert Tour

The group’s 14th European tour features several concerts along the coast of Normandy, including shows in Barfleur, Cherbourg and the historic D-Day site of Sainte-Mère-Église. The itinerary also marks the group’s debut in Switzerland with a concert in Zermatt. Venues in England include Wimbourne’s Tivoli Theatre, along with performances in Arundel, Chichester and Hastings, where Electric Youth will collaborate with students from the Hastings Stage Studio. EY also returns to Lake Como, following performances there last summer, to deliver two lakeside shows at the Hotel Britannia.

Electric Youth has released six professional albums and toured Europe 13 times, with performances at England’s Arundel Festival, Disneyland Paris, professional theaters in Bristol, London and Windsor, and such renowned venues as Sanremo’s Ariston Theatre and Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Musikverein and Schonbrunn Palace.

EY also has headlined Fourth of July shows for U.S. troops and their families stationed in Italy at Camp Ederle, Camp Darby and Aviano Air Force Base. The ensemble has performed on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, on Fox-TV and WBZ Radio, and at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, Mechanics Hall, the Smithsonian Museum Theater, the United Nations and the American Embassy in Rome. EY’s music, including the 2014 album Power Chord, is available at amazon.com and iTunes.

Tickets for Electric Youth in Concert at THE BLACK BOX are $26. To purchase tickets, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com, stop by the box office at 34 Main Street in Franklin, or call (508) 528-3370. THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. For more information about Electric Youth, visit www.electricyouth.com.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

THE BLACK BOX New England Artist Series presents The Reminisantson Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. at the downtown Franklin venue. Entertaining audiences of all ages throughout New England since 1973, the oldies band specializes in music from the 1950s through the ’90s. Playing a collection of hits for all kinds of musical tastes and many generations, the popular stage act averages over 120 performances per year.

The band has shared the stage with The Beach Boys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Drifters, Chubby Checker, The Marvelettes, Herb Reed and The Platters, and many more. Formed in 1973 by three Waltham High School friends, Dom Viscione, Mike Joyal and Fran Doorakian, the band has since expanded to the current six-man group. Tickets are $20. The home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company and a suburban hub for great music, THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street. A cash bar is available.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) will host spring Open Houses on Thursday, June 8 and Monday, June 26 from 4-8 p.m. at 38 Main Street in downtown Franklin. The community is invited to tour the facilities, observe classes and rehearsals, speak with faculty and staff, and learn more about FSPA programs in music, dance and drama.Founded in 1985 by Director Raye Lynn Mercer, FSPA has been dedicated to the enjoyment of the arts for all ages and to the artistic growth and development of young people. The school offers classes in all dance disciplines, acting, musical theater, voice, and instrumental instruction, whether for recreational enjoyment or serious study.

FSPA is also home to the Little Music School, an innovative program that teaches children as young as 18 months to play the piano. An extensive calendar of performing opportunities features musicals, plays, ballets, voice and instrumental recitals, opera scenes, acoustic coffee houses, musical theater and dance company showcases, and more.

Many FSPA students are also cast, by audition, in the affiliated Franklin Performing Arts Company’s annual season of shows. FSPA TALENT offers management services for young performers who elect to pursue professional opportunities.

FSPA To Host June Open Houses

FSPA is also pleased to offer FSPA Academy, an academic alternative for students seeking a challenging curriculum in a supportive, flexible environment that encourages their creative goals. Provided Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in collaboration with the Massachusetts Virtual Academy (MAVA), the program builds upon MAVA’s state-approved online curriculum and features an enhanced emphasis on arts, language and culture, including Music Theory, foreign language conversation classes, field trips and more.

In addition, a new FSPA AfterSchool enrichment program offers supervised recreational experiences, including games, crafts and other creative arts activities, for students in grades K-5. The program begins at the close of the regular school day, with transportation available from Franklin and Medway schools. Classes continue at FSPA through June 19 and the summer session begins on June 26. Registration for summer and fall is ongoing. Call (508) 528-8668 or visit www.FSPAonline.com for more information, including the FSPA catalogue, summer brochure and fall class schedule.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Joe Landry's next presentation at the Franklin Historical Museum will be on Sunday, May 21 at 1:30 pm.

Joe will be discussing "The Churches in Franklin" and the role that the Puritan church played in the formation of Franklin as a town. He'll talk about Franklin's beginning as the "Second Precinct of Wrentham" and how it became a separate town in 1778.

Joe will discuss the different religious denominations that came to Franklin during the early years and the churches that their followers worshiped in. Some structures were lost as a result of fire or hurricane and some were moved to different locations and sold to other religious groups.

Action & IMPACT: Community Arts Advocacy Day is a multi-town event bringing together artists, art advocates, cultural organizations, and local businesses to participate in a morning of grassroots activism and education supporting the importance of arts and arts education in our culture.Action & IMPACT is a FREE program of the Franklin Cultural Council, with additional support from the Norfolk Cultural Council, Cultural Alliance of Medfield, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and MASSCreative.

Agenda:

8:15 - 9:00: Registration, Breakfast & Networking

9:00-9:15: Welcome Address

9:15-9:30: Why Advocate?...the economic and cultural impact of the arts and what advocacy can achieve

9:30-9:50: Your Arts Story "Elevator Pitch"…using your personal story to advocate for change

9:50-10:10: Creative Break to Advocate…grassroots advocacy activities

10:15-11:00: Educational Workshop Session 1

11:00-11:45: Educational Workshop Session 2

11:45-12:00: Wrap up & Social Media Call to Action…one last advocacy action!

Workshops:

Tips for Successful Grant Writing — Barb Gardner, Franklin Cultural Council & Lillian Gould, MFABarb, a grant writer for Tufts University, and Lillian, a grant writer for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, will offer specific tips and information on ways to improve your future Cultural Council grant applications, as well as resources for finding other grants and suggestions on ways to write a successful grant app.

Leveraging PR & Email Marketing— Tamara Starr, Franklin Cultural CouncilTamara is a former Content Producer for the Boston Globe and former editor of Patch.com and knows what it takes to grab the attention of the press. This workshop will focus on how to write a great press release, managing relationships with editors, examples of impactful "letters to the editor" that support your arts and advocacy message, and more!

Community Engagement through Social Media—Charity Stolarz & Taylor McVay, Norfolk Cultural CouncilLearn to leverage the power of social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect to your community and amplify your message. Charity and Taylor will give you a crash course in the basic usage of the most popular social media platforms, along with tips and advice on which platforms are best suited for use in various circumstances. You'll get tools and techniques to boost your reach and maximize engagement with your target audience, and a chance to practice posting, liking, sharing and retweeting in real time with a workshop full of new social media followers. No social media experience necessary!

Lobbying Your Town for Arts Funding — Jean Mineo, Cultural Alliance of MedfieldJean successfully lobbied the town of Medfield 3 years ago to match Mass Cultural Council funding. She, in conjunction with the MCC, developed a Toolkit and Webinar on the topic outlining the successful strategies to use as well as pitfalls to avoid when approaching your town for funding.

The Ins and Outs of How to Advocate— MA Representative Jeff Roy & Andre Green, MASSCreativeRepresentative Roy will talk to us about the issues he faces regarding State arts funding budgeting, the objections his colleagues might have to supporting the arts, and how to successfully address those objections when advocating. Andre, Political Director at MASSCreative, will then expand on our earlier elevator pitch activity to guide people in coming up with talking points and "scripts" for advocacy meetings with legislators, giving time to role play these meetings with Rep Roy and others.

Art Builds Business Builds Art: Creating Symbiotic Corporate/Arts RelationshipsLocal businesses and arts organizations can create mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationships. Corporations offer sponsorship and funding for the arts, while the arts foster a desirable work environment, increased efficiency and morale, and build competitive advantages for businesses. This workshop will explore those relationships and how to create them within your community.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

THE BLACK BOX Local Artist Series presents the DayBreakers, with special guests Copilot and Colbis the Creature, on Friday, May 19 at 8:30 p.m. at the downtown Franklin venue. Blending folk-rock melodies with blues guitar muscle and rock ‘n’ roll grit, the DayBreakers have crafted their own sound on the backs of bands like the Rolling Stones, The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers, and the Eagles. Their music tells timeless stories of happiness, heartbreak, rejection, and redemption with rhythm that keeps audiences dancing. Combining rock ‘n’ roll, blues, country, and funk, the band has worked tirelessly to craft a sound that is filled with hard riffs and soulful melodies. Copilot is an American Pop duo based in Norfolk, Massachusetts. As Copilot, Ry McDonald and Maggie Quealy explore their passion and unique, Americana music through their popular covers and original songs in a way that many listeners haven’t heard before.

Boston-based Indie rock band Colbis the Creature features Nick Caliendo (vox, rhythm guitar), Danny Hoey (vox, lead guitar), and Colby Blauvelt (percussion). Forging songs with a solid rock texture and pop-flavored coating, the group recently released a self-titled album.Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. The home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company and a suburban hub for great music, THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street. A cash bar is available.

Friday, May 12, 2017

The Eighth Annual Massachusetts Walking Tour, founded by songwriting duo Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards, will be coming this year to the Blackstone Valley – performing 11 free community concerts while traversing the state on foot. Since 2010, Mandeville and Richards have organized now over 100 coffeehouse style concerts which showcase local musicians and artists across the state – creating a quality evening program for all ages and an opportunity for talent young and old to be enjoyed by a listening audience. Venues chosen for these community concerts include public libraries, town parks, and historical properties – and this year all events have been funded through grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council program. Carrying approximately 40-50 lbs of gear and instruments, the Massachusetts Walking Troupe, including veteran members Mark Kilianski (guitar, banjo) and Amy Alvey (fiddle), will be hiking from concert to concert using the Blackstone Valley’s many recreational trails – Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT), Charles River Bikeway, and trails within DCR’s Riverbend Farm to name a few.

In addition to evening concerts, the troupe will also be organizing a series of short group hikes wherein the community will be invited to meet up with the Massachusetts Walking Tour as they travel between towns. These public hikes will highlight some of the Blackstone Valley’s recreational hiking trails, routes which appear in local author Marjorie Turner Hollman’s book Easy Walks In Massachusetts. All routes will be displayed and downloadable at www.masswalkingtour.org.The Eighth Annual Massachusetts Walking Tour will take place between June 15 and June 24, starting in Webster and ending in Blackstone. All concerts will be from 6-8pm and here is a complete listing of events:June 15 – Memorial Beach – Webster MAJune 16 – EN Jenckes General Store – Douglas MAJune 17 – River Bend Farm – Uxbridge MAJune 18 – Kiwanis Beach – Upton MAJune 19 – Hopedale Unitarian Parish – Hopedale MAJune 20 – Milford Senior Center – Milford MAJune 21 – Medway Public Library – Medway MAJune 22 – Bellingham Public Library – Bellingham MAJune 23 – Franklin Public Library – Franklin MAJune 24 – Blackstone Boys and Girls Club – Blackstone MAFor more information on these events or for videos of previous year’s Massachusetts Walking Tours, please visit www.masswalkingtour.org. If you are an artist or musician from the towns above, and you would like to be involved in an event, send an email to masswalkingtour@gmail.com or find the Massachusetts Walking Tour on Facebook.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Cultural District Planning Meeting at Franklin TVAll: Please mark your calendars for a very important and hopefully interesting meeting. The Town is making good progress in its efforts to create a cultural district in the Downtown area. On May 18th Franklin TV will host our next meeting at their studios at 23 Hutchinson Street. Franklin TV/Franklin Radio (Franklin Community Cable Access) has signed on as one of our Partners working to create, manage and enhance the cultural district. The main topic of discussion on May 18th is our Cultural District Marketing Plan, which is a cultural district application requirement. Steve Sherlock will provide an overview on the status of our Cultural District Web Site, Cultural Events Calendar, and Social Media. We'll also be discussing a possible Cultural Asset Catalog (or on-line listing), an on-line "Story Map" of the cultural district, collaborative marketing efforts, and Cultural District Branding and Signage. In addition to fairly short presentations, we'll all have opportunity to provide input. Please bring your ideas/suggestions. It is important for all of our partners to provide input into the required Marketing Plan and related issues. I hope we have a full house at Franklin TV.Going forward. Please mark your calendars for our June meeting, which will be held at 7:00 p.m. on June 15th at Dean College in the Campanella Board Room. We'll be discussing the cultural district application submittal and related required Town Council actions. As with the May meeting, it's extremely important that representatives from all our Partners attend.Also, attached for your review (see below) is a map of the proposed Franklin Cultural District, which was recently submitted to the State for their review. ThanksBryanBryan W. Taberner, AICPDirector of Planning and Community Development355 East Central StreetFranklin, MA 02038-1352Phone: 508-520-4907Fax: 508-520-4906Email: btaberner@franklin.ma.usPlease note the Town of Franklin is converting to a new email system. Effective July 1, 2017 my e-mail address will be btaberner@franklinma.gov.

Featuring entertainment by Electric Youth and special guest artists of the Franklin Performing Arts Company.

All-inclusive ticket: $75

Coming to
THE BLACK BOX in June!

Saturday, June 3, 8PM -- Cabaret Series with Ali Funkhouser

Saturday, June 10, 8 PM --The Reminisants (Boston's Best Oldies Band)

Saturday, June 17, 8PM -- Cabaret Series with Catherine Weiss and Galen Hancock

Saturday, June 24, 7:30 PM--Electric Youth Bon Voyage Concert

THE BLACK BOX Local
Artist Series Presents
The Daybreakers

with Copilot and

Colbis the Creature

Friday, May 19, 8:30 PM

Blending folk-rock melodies with blues guitar muscle and rock and roll grit, the DayBreakers have crafted their own sound on the backs of bands like the Rolling Stones, the Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers, and the Eagles. The music tells timeless stories of happiness, heartbreak, rejection and redemption with rhythm that keeps audiences dancing. Combining rock and roll, blues, country and funk, the band has worked tirelessly to craft a sound that is filled with hard riffs and soulful melodies.

Copilot is an Americana Pop duo based in Norfolk, MA. As Copilot, Ry McDonald and Maggie Quealy explore their passion for unique, Americana music, through their popular covers and original songs in a way that many listeners haven't heard before.

​​Colbis the Creature is based in the suburbs of Boston. Predominantly forging songs with a solid rock texture and pop-flavored coating, Nick Caliendo softly hammers honest lyrics into your head with the help of, the dissonant, stringed disarray of Danny Hoey's feedback. Colbis is anchored to the earth by an exacting rhythm section, courtesy of Colby Blauvelt. Their self-titled album (Colbis the Creature) is infectious and lingers long after with melodic hooks and odd imagery. With all members having different interests and influences, none of their songs sound like the next, but somehow all fit together.